Miranda Williams gets her face painted during the 2010 Juneteenth festival at the Lake Charles Civic Center. (American Press)
Mark your calendars today as ‘Juneteenth’
Last Modified: Thursday, June 21, 2012 6:57 PM
By Warren Arceneaux / American Press
Freedom will be celebrated with family fun, food and a tribute to Southwest Louisiana’s favorite singer today at the annual KZWA Juneteenth Celebration at the Lake Charles Civic Center.
The event will begin at 2 p.m., with live entertainment getting started at 4 p.m.
Among the entertainers slated to perform are Willie Clayton, Lil Wayne & Same Ol Two Step, Patrick Henry, Georgi O, Javis Jacob and the Extreme Step Team.
There will also be a Josh Sound-Alike contest to honor “American Idol” contestant Josh Ledet.
Other activities include a celebrity barbecue cook-off, hat parade, father-and-son and mother-and-daughter look-alike contests, domino tournament, chicken run and Little Mr. and Ms. Juneteenth zydeco competition.
The Kids Play Zone will feature a variety of games and activities and appearances by Helen Lewis, C.C. da Clown and the St. Henry’s Ladies Altar Society.
Juneteenth commemorates the day when blacks in Texas learned of the Emancipation Proclamation.
KZWA owner Faye Blackwell said it is important to remember history, even the ugly parts of it.
“This is a reminder for us of the dark days, but also an opportunity to celebrate these days and where we are today,” she said.
“We are getting closer every year to the American dream that the Founding Fathers bequeathed to us, a society that is entirely free. We still aspire to that and must keep working to achieve the dream that they created.”
The celebration will continue 2-10:30 p.m. June 22 at the Lake Charles Civic Center. Admission is free 2-4 p.m. After 4 p.m., admission will be the Juneteenth commemorative T-shirt or $10 at the door.
For information, call the KZWA studio at 491-9955, ext. 17, or visit the studio at 305 Enterprise Blvd.
Posted By: Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D. On: 7/6/2012
Title: Mark your calendars today as ‘Juneteenth’
Juneteenth is America’s 2nd Independence Day celebration. Americans of African descent were trapped in the tyranny of enslavement on the country’s first “4th of July”, 1776, Independence Day.
It took over 88 years for the news of freedom to be announced in Southwest Texas, the last southern state in rebellion during the Civil War, where enslavement was allowed, over two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln. The dynamic leadership of abolitionist Frederick Douglass was very important to the ending of enslavement in America.
41 states recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday or state holiday observance, the District of Columbia, as well as the Congress of the United States. On the “19th of June”, 2012, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), sponsored legislation in the U.S. Senate to make Juneteenth Independence Day a National Day of Observance in America.
We join our ancestors, Americans of African descent, in the celebration of the announcement of freedom, on the "19th of June", Juneteenth. It was the 13th Amendment passed by the U.S. Congress on December 6, 1865, and signed by the Secretary of State on December 18, 1865, that was the legal action that ended enslavement in America.
The "Modern Juneteenth Movement" recognizes and supports Juneteenth as our National Freedom Day, when we come together as Americans to celebrate freedom from enslavement in the nation.
The "19th of June" and the "4th of July" completes the cycle of Independence Day celebrations in America. You can not celebrate freedom in America without both days.
Together we will see Juneteenth become a national holiday observance in America!
“DOC”
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.
Chairman
National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)
National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP)
www.NationalJuneteenth.com
Posted By: Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D. On: 7/6/2012
Title: Mark your calendars today as ‘Juneteenth’
As in previous years, President Obama did not issue a Presidential Proclamation establishing Juneteenth as a national day of observance, but just another impersonal annual Juneteenth statement. Juneteenth has never been celebrated at the White House and President Obama has yet to speak to the public about the significance of Juneteenth Independence Day in America.
The White House and the U.S. Capitol were built by Americans of African descent during the tyranny of enslavement. President Obama should host a White House Juneteenth reception to honor their sacrifice.
However, thanks for supporting, writing and reporting on Juneteenth. Most importantly, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) has introduced legislation to make Juneteenth Independence Day a National Day of Observance, like Flag Day and Patriot Day.
We urge President Obama to do the right thing and join the U.S. Congress to establish Juneteenth Independence Day as a National Day of Observance in America.
Together we will see Juneteenth become a national holiday in America!
"DOC"
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.
Founder & Chairman
National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)
National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP)
www.NationalJuneteenth.com
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